The Sarasota County Public Hospital Board recently appointed Joseph J. DeVirgilio, Jr., to the board's Central District Seat.

Currently president of Suncoast Management Consultants and a senior consultant with River Consulting Group, Mr. DeVirgilio relocated to North Venice, FL, from Poughkeepsie, NY, where for three decades he served in a series of executive positions for the CH Energy Group, Central Hudson Gas & Electric Corporation and Central Hudson Enterprises, most recently as executive vice president.

"We welcome Joe to the Hospital Board and believe his more than 30 years of leadership on health care boards and with a state-regulated public company will be an invaluable asset to us," said Dick Merritt, chairman of the unpaid, publicly elected board that governs Sarasota Memorial Health Care System.

Mr. DeVirgilio's extensive board experience includes 12 years on the Board of Trustees of St. Francis Hospital, where he served as chair of the board's Quality Council and Capital Campaign. He also served on the board of the St. Francis Healthcare Foundation.

In addition, he was a member of the boards of the Taconic Health Information Network and Community Regional Health Information Organization; Kaiser Permanente Northeast Division/Community Health Plan (HMO); Hospice, Inc.; the Poughkeepsie Area Chamber of Commerce; the YMCA of Dutchess County; American Cancer Society of Dutchess County and Habitat for Humanity. He was also CEO of the United Way of Dutchess County, led its Personnel Committee and served on its Finance Committee.

Other leadership roles include Vice Chair of the Charter Commission of the City of Poughkeepsie and member of the city's Economic Development Committee. He has received several honors for exceptional service, including the Healthcare Trustees of New York State Award, the Poughkeepsie Area Chamber of Commerce Community Service Award and the Hospice Community Service Award.

He received a bachelor's degree in Engineering from Stevens Institute of Technology and a Master's in Electric Power Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

The Hospital Board appointed Mr. DeVirgilio to serve until 2014, which is the remainder of the four-year term for the seat vacated by cardiothoracic surgeon Thomas Kelly, MD, who recently stepped off the board to join Sarasota Memorial's First Physicians Group.